Electrical t connecter



1 1,642,491 bp- 13 1927 B. DIBNER ELECTRICAL T CONNECTER Filed March 3l. 1924 i' WM! F51. 2

INVENTOR.

A TTORNEYS.

Patented Sept. 13, 1927.

UNITED STATES BERNARD DIBNER, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

ELECTRICAL T CONNECTER.

Application filed March 31, 1924.

M v invention relates generall)p to electrical connecting apparatus and has reference specifically to a type ol' connecter known coiumercialljv as a T connecter and used for 6 connecting cables, wires. or metal tubingr on electric structures. Being in particular employed outdoors in the entire range ot' climate, temperature, and altitude, it is subject to such stresses as are produced by violence ot wind and storm. the strains of snow and sleet and their vibrations and also the inherent vibrations ot alternating current apparatus including stresses due to switching and surges. Seasonal and daily changes of temperature will also act thereon. T connecters ot' the common type generally employed For this purpose comprise an upright stem, having a` bolt to engage a conductor inserted in the bore ot the stem. or 0 engaged b v the other common methods of soldering or shrink fitting, and an integral half cross-head section disposed at the end opposite the conductor. This halt section is placed against a main conductor and a cap superimposed over the latter. The cap is adjusted to clamp the conductor by means of ordinarir bolts which operate to clamp the integral half section and the cap against opposite sides of the main conductor. According to this construction, it will be readily apparent that the efticiencv of the T connecter depends entirely upon the two clamp bolts. It one or the other of these means becomes loosened. due to the vibrations mentioned above. an etl'ective electrical contact is broken or dangerously impaired. causing drop oi voltage. loss ot energy. and a heat- -ing making all soldering and shrink-fitting connections inett'ective. and what is more serious. if the bolts work loose to a point where the cap falls awav from the integral half sectionthe latter. no longer able. to cling to the main conductor. allows the branch conductor or cable to tree itseli and all connection between the two conductors is broken. If the wires or other electrical conductors remained without motion. the dangers just referred to would be negligible. but in all installations where'substantial lengths ofconductors are used the wind and the other vibratorv conditions give the e0nductors such` motion. Vibrations of this kind soon tend to work the bolts loose. crystalize the conductors, and break soldered and tit connections. j

With the above conditions in mind, it is Serial No. 703,143.

the purpose ot the present invention to provide. a T comiecter which will firmly grip the conductor tubing. ete. of such equipment, so as to avoid possible disconnection due to loosening oi' parts. relieve all bolts of strain, and which cannot tail to maintain constant and 'full electrical contact with the conductors under all conditions. I accomplish this purpose by means of a T connecter de .signed and constructed according to the present invention.

The invention is illustratively exemplified in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an elevational view of my iinproved T connecter showing a main and branch conductor: and Figure 2 is a perspective view ot the connecter showing the parts separated.

Referring to the drawings, 10 denotes the hodv portion of the T connecter and 11 the clamp plate adjustablv attached to the body 10, The bodjvY 10 comprises a depending stem portion 12 having a flat inner tace. 15% and reinforced outer face 14, which is provided with a rib 15 projecting throughout the length ot the body. Adjacent the lower end of the stein 12 and disposed on the inner face 13 are two transverselv arranged parallel ribs 16 abutting the surface of a vertical conductor 17 which is engaged bv a U bolt 1S adjustable in openings in the stem on opposite sides ot the rib 15. The free ends ot the bolt 18 are provided with threads over which suitable nuts 19 are adjusted against the outer tace 14 to draw the closed end of the bolt 18 against the conductor 17. rl`he upper end of the bodv portion 10 is provided with a hook portion 20 having a circular inner peripher)r beginning at the lowermost tangent point and following the curve t'or approximately 225 degrees of the circle. This point is then about 115 degrees past the uppermost tangent point. The end ot this hook portion 2O is provided with a radialljv disposed flange 21` which projects longitudinallv of the device to about one halt1 the width of the T or the center or edge of the rib 15. which follows the curve of the hook. A second flange 22, integral with the body 10. begins at a point 90 degrecs back. or to the right of the first ange 21 and completes the full width of the T. Each flange 21 and 22 is provided .with a bolt opening 23 having its axis parallel with the plane of the other flange. According to this construction, it will be seen that the lll) body portion has an extension on both sides of the vertical center point of about 45 degrees, which Will enable the connecter, if necessary, to hang onto the main c0nductor 24 Without further clamping means, gravity acting as the securing agent.

The clamping section or plate lljoins the body portion 1() to form a complete bore 25 for the conductor 24. This section 11 comprises a hook portion 26 having an inner periphery of 225 degrees on one-half and a flange 27 radially arranged to abut the flange 22. Likewise, the other shorter half 28 of the hook 26 is substantially 9() degrees back of the first flange 27 and is provided with a radial flange 29 adapted to abut the flange 21 of the body portion 10. The flanges 27 and 29 are provided with bolt openings 30 adapted to register with the bolt openings 23 of the flanges 21 and 22, the openings being adapted to receive suitable bolts 31 having nuts 32 adjustable against the clamping plate '11.

' The plate 11 is further secured to the body portion 10 by means of bolts 33 arranged in registered openings 34 in the stem 12 and straight shank 35 of the cap 11. The lower end of the shank 35 is provided With a cylindrical projection 36 having an axial bore 37 in its lower portion. The purpose of the projection 36 is to provide'means to receive the end of the electrical conductor, i. e., if the conductor be a cable or Wire, the lattery is adapted to be inserted into the bore 37 before the U bolt 18 is clamped down, buton the' other hand, if the conductor comprisesK a tu bular member then the member is placed over the cylindrical projection 36, as shown in Figure 2 in dotted lines, portion 36 thus provides means for securing a permanent electrical connection by the methods of soldering for cable and shrink .fitting for tubular conductors.

The installation of a T connecter according to the present invention may be carried out as follows. Assuming that the horizontally arranged `main conductors 24 are hung 'inthe transmission busses of an outdoorequipment and that the vertical branch conn ductors, for example, are of 'copper tubing,

said tubing is fit-ted onto cap' portion l1 on the ground. At this point it is important to note a characteristically' novel feature of the invention. Because of the hookcharacter of the parts of the T connector, the branch whic has been fitted in place onto cap portion 11 may from the ground be hun into position on the main conductor and a that remains to be done in the air is the bolti'ng into position of the body member 12. In

fact, it .will be noted that the workman need 'carry nothing with him into the air but body maaier area where contact between the branch and"` the 'Il' is made.w The length of body 10 acts as a steadying lever increasing the point of flexture of the tubing due to ,vibrations of wind and electro-mechanical vibrations and thus eliminates contact failures due to metallic crystallization. Mechanical and consequent electrical failure in the shank 36 at the joint is also thus prevented.

Since devices of this character are used in overhead installations, such as, outdoor and cap 11 of the connecter and not through a series of auxiliary bolts as in the constructions so often used for this type of Work.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: y 1. In an electrical T connecter, the combination of a body member having a contact-ving surface projecting beyond the vertical center line of the body to support the latter in hanging position, and a complementary cap member having a, contactingwsurface projecting beyond its vertical centerline to support the cap in hanging position, saidv projecting contacting lsurfaces cooperating toform a circumferential contacting surf i face. i

2. An electric T connecter for main and branch conductors, comprising a body member having a contacting surface adapted to embrace the main conductory and to support the body member in a free-hanging posiicoV tion, said Contactin surface termmating in radially disposed o set flanges arranged on opposite sides of a vertical center,4 line through the main conductor, and a cap member for the body member and having a complementary contacting surface and radial Aflanges ada ted to oo-operate with the com tacting sur ace and flanges of the body mein,- ber to embrace the said main conductor.

3. A T connecter, as claimed in claim 2, in which said cap member is provided with a projection to receive a branch conductor coninaction.

4. A l connecter, as claimed in claim 2, in

which said cap member is provided with a projection to' receive,l a branch conductor connection, including means adjustable in4 said body member to embrace the. branch conductor projecting from said cap.-

Y 5. A 'l' connecter, as claimed in claim 2, in which the cap member is provided with a projection to receive a branch conductor con- .ise

nection, a shank for said body member having engaging ribs adapted to contact with the surface of the branch conductor, and clamping means carried by said shank and embracing the branch conductor for holding the latter into closegcontact with said r1 s.

6. In a T connecter, the combination of a clampingmember having ofi-set radially arranged clamping flanges, and a"con1plemen tary clamping member having offset radially arranged clamping fianges, said clamping members being provided with connecting surfaces adapted to embrace an electrical conductor by adjustment. of the corresponding clamping flanges of both members towards one another and a depending stem for one of said clamping members.

7. A T connecter, as claimed in claim 6, including means carried by the first clamping member to embrace a conductor d1sposed at right angles to the first conductor.

8. A T connecter, as claimedv in claim 6, including an adjustable U bolt to engage a second conductor at right angles to the first conductor.

9. A T connecter, as claimed in claim 6, including an adjustable U bolt carried by the first clamping member to engage a second conductor at right angles to the first, and a connecting member carried by the complementary clamping member to receive the end of the second conductor above the said U bolt.

10. A T connecter for connecting vertical conductors to horizontal conductors, comprising a body ortion having a cross head portion provided with radally arranged clamping flanges offset from one another on opposite sides of a. vertical center line through the horizontal conductor, said flanges being further,` off-set from one another on opposite sides of an intersecting point of the same center line and a vertica glane line disposed transversely through the odyiportion, a complementary portion having o set flanges to receive the first flan es, means for clamping the flanges toget 1er, and means carried y the body portion to clamp the vertical conductor.

l1. In a T connecter, the combination of acap member, a body member, and bolts for clamping said members about an `electric conductor, said bolts being positioned so that the respective planes which are parallel to said conductor and ass through said bolts will form a plurallty of' angles with respect to each other.

In testimony whereof, he has signed his name to this specification this 24th day of March, 1924.

BERNARD DIBNER. 

